


world in red

by Pulp_Reality



Series: do you listen to girl in red? [2]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fuck 2020, Lesbian AU, Recreational Drug Use, Texting, Underage Drinking, Useless Lesbians, pandemic? more like jandemic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pulp_Reality/pseuds/Pulp_Reality
Summary: “A lockdown? That’s ridiculous” Gigi mustered, knowing well it was a blatant lie. The situation was dangerous and she was definitely freaking out. But what she dreaded the most was knowing instantly Crystal was packing her bags and heading to Missouri. One thousand, seven hundred and exactly nineteen miles away. Twenty five hours away by car. With a three hour difference. Her suspicions were confirmed as soon as her girlfriend opened her mouth.“My mom is freaking out” Crystal avoided to look at her, while Gigi was fetching for those hazel eyes that felt like home. She would quarantine in Crystal’s eyes if she could. But her favorite place in the world was just a beautiful set of eyes carried by an even more beautiful person, not just an actual structure. “I need to go back home.”A pandemic happens in the middle of Crystal and Gigi’s junior year of college, forcing them to go long distance. Mostly a texting fic. Sequel to girl in red, please read that first if you haven’t.Some things here are anecdotes from my own experiences with lockdown and covid, some are from other people’s experiences and some are just pure fiction.
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd, Jackie Cox/Jan Sport, Nicky Doll/Jaida Essence Hall
Series: do you listen to girl in red? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914784
Comments: 17
Kudos: 42





	1. kiss me thru the phone

**Author's Note:**

> i’m back on my 3 am bullshit. i wanted to do a separate texting fic but why not do it with this one since it already has a plot set up?  
> also, the way i’m placing the united states managing the pandemic, it’s mostly going to be from effective practices from other countries, but i do have to include the stupidity i see sometimes. but like that kind of stupidity that doesn’t burn off my braincells to a crisp, because there’s a limit to everything. enjoy ;) ~gee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Baby, you know that I miss you, I wanna get with you tonight  
> But I cannot, baby girl, and that's the issue  
> Girl, you know I miss you, I just wanna kiss you  
> But I can't right now so, baby  
> Kiss me through the phone   
> I'll see you later on"

Everything was perfect. While Edith Piaf and Louis Armstrong saw la vie en rose, Gigi and Crystal saw _le monde en rouge._ They weren’t an exception to fall into the “The Roaring 20s” mentality. Crystal was in a more positive mood on the possibility of a great year. Gigi was more than thrilled for the beginning of a new year for the first since she was a teen; growing up makes you change perspectives of everything, the excitement of the Holidays faded away with the years for most. Even when riding down the high of exiting the Holiday season, their optimism never faded away, the sentiment kept rubbing on each other. 

“I don’t understand why everyone is so excited about the New Year” Rock complained through a groan, taking in a large bite of her burger after. “I mean— The twenties have been nothing but a disgrace. Plagues, war, more poverty. I never found out what the fuck was that green light Gatsby saw!” She proclaimed once she was half way chewing, the rest of the group complaint on the lack of manners. 

It was their first time seeing each other after overall excellent winter break activities. Nicky saw her family back in France and got Jaida a rather expensive bear plush with a characteristic Versace print, which the couple named Gian. Dahlia somehow sneaked into a celebrity party in her native New York City. After two years of dating, Jan finally met Jackie’s mom who surprisingly ended up adoring her by the simple art of making homemade pasta, a skill Jan had adapted from her Italian roots. Rock traveled almost the entire country with her family, meeting a long line of interesting relatives. And Gigi and Crystal spent the holidays together, happier than ever. 

“Actually, the green light on The Great Gatsby symbolizes his—“ Jackie started saying, only for a finger to be placed over her lips shushing and interrupting her statement. 

“Don’t tell me. I want to stay in the dark about it and complain for the rest of my life” Rock said, removing her finger from the downward turned lips belonging to the rather confused girl sitting in front of her. 

“Girl, don’t call out those bad vibes towards humanity” Dahlia complained across the table to Rock, finding her statement unsettling. “That thing hasn’t left China. Don’t attract it here” 

“The virus hasn’t left China _yet._ We don’t really know what’s going down around the world. The Wuhan region is one of the most frequented around the country, especially the Seafood Market.” Jackie informed the table. She always commented on how her smarts were either a blessing, or a curse. Right now, everyone, including herself, considered it was the latter. 

“Not you too, sis” Dahlia fired back on the negative behavior, rolling her eyes and tilting her head back with a dramatic groan. “Let’s stay positive, it’s going to be a nice year. Last year was ass, so I’m glad it’s over” 

“Can’t relate” Gigi couldn’t help but giggle, leaning in to give Crystal a peck. Gigi did have to admit, last year was beyond bland before she met Crystal. Her whole life in general was bland until she met her. Well, it wasn’t exactly bland, she was having fun, but the type of fun Gigi had with Crystal was something she never knew before. 

_“Can’t relate”_ Dahlia mocked her tone, taking a loud, angry sip of her milkshake, the sound running through the diner, covering up the music coming from the jukebox and drowning out conversations nearby. The rest laughed at her dramatic antics. 

Gigi believed Dahlia, Jackie and Rock might be into clairvoyance or something similar, because after their conversation on January 20th, the 21st was announced the first coronavirus case in the country. She tried to push the tense thoughts surrounding the seemingly precarious novel illness to the deepest parts of her mind and started to suck in Crystal’s optimism, who didn’t seem remotely close to losing it, bless her heart. 

“Something’s bothering you” Crystal spoke one day, looking at her companion suspiciously behind her glasses. They sat together at what became both their usual coffee spot, just chatting after class. 

Gigi yelped at her ability of noting things in her so easily. How did she even? Apparently, Crystal could also read her mind, answering with ease the question that swam around her head “You drink green tea without milk and honey when you’re scared, your mom used to make you some when there were thunderstorms or earthquake warnings.” She pointed at the warm beverage settled in front of her girlfriend, making Gigi flush. Damn, she could read her so easily it was embarrassing. Crystal took a large, noisy slurp of her hot cocoa, her glasses getting foggy with the proximity of the heat the cup exuded. “And you’re wearing glasses, you avoid to use them on a day to day basis because your vision is not as bad, unless you’re stressed” 

“I’m scared with this whole corona situation” Gigi said out loud for the first time in almost two weeks. For someone who never even grabbed a newspaper for reading purposes and deleted the News app off her iPhone, the daily broadcasts were intoxicating her, with dreadful updates from not only the United States, but the entire world; or at least the country the illness has reached. The situation in Hubei and surrounding Chinese provinces was indescribable. “It’s… just a little terrifying” 

Crystal leaned her head to the side, like a small confused puppy. The sickness had just surged and for someone who was in perfectly healthy conditions it was unusual for them to be scared. It was still in an early stage of development, why was Gigi freaked out so early on? Left with the unanswered question, Crystal reached in to hold her hand, the action serving immediately as comfort. “I know it is. But I’m sure everything will turn out okay” 

But Crystal hated the fact she knew she might be wrong. Very wrong. Gigi wished she wasn’t, but knew she was. Nicky provided the first unexpected slap of reality: things were actually serious. After the relaxing coffee date, the first thing Gigi encountered while entering her room was her best friend packing, making Crystal’s encouraging words go down the drain in an instant. The big suitcase was brought out from under her bed, and the door leading to their shared closet was busted open, all of her clothing items laid on top of her bed or were already packed. 

“What is this?” Gigi asked, perplexed from the door frame. No one in the room answered at first, Nicky running around in the blink of a breakdown, mumbling things in French. Jaida helped around with the clothes and emotional support but it was evident she was also close to breaking down and crying. But she took out her pageant winning attitude and composure and pulled it together for her girlfriend.

Dahlia was the one that noticed Gigi on the doorstep, it was clear she wasn’t feeling great either. “They’re threatening to close borders in Europe after ‘rona cases started to skyrocket. Nicky’s going home” She responded somberly, watching Gigi’s face go through the complete roulette of all existing negative emotions. 

“Don’t cry. Just help me pack” Nicky commanded with exhaustion, watching her friend’s lip tremble. Gigi sucked in a crisp deep breath, releasing a shaky exhale. She nodded slowly, throwing her purse to her bed and leaning down to grab an article of clothing, folding the item into a roll to save space into the suitcase. The girl was packing everything just in case, not knowing with certainty what came next. Before she knew, Nicky was off to France wearing a mask inside the plane. And just the next day, the president announced the detailed travel ban that included Europe. Gigi crunched out a sigh while reading the news. Everything horrible was just passing by in a blur, and she just felt numb. At least Nicky made it just in time. 

The only thing that kicked Gigi’s energy up was Valentine’s Day. Crystal brought her on a picnic, to reminisce their first date, and also took her thrift shopping, teaching her girlfriend techniques for the best experience. But that was just Valentine’s day and the effect that rubbed off onto the next day. On February 16th, she was back on the high ridden anxiety levels. Somehow, time passed quicker, but their promised amazing year seemed to be light years away. More so, when almost a month after Valentine’s day, the coronavirus was declared as a pandemic. The second after, everything turned hectic. 

_“I feel like I’m going to starve”_ Crystal whined through the phone _“The lines at supermarkets were long as fuck, I couldn’t stock up on my everyday food before everyone went crazy. It’s like there’s a nuclear bomb coming this way”_ She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes reflecting the light green glimmer of the glow in the dark stars. 

“Did you run out of Lucky charms too?” Gigi asked, knowing how obsessed her girlfriend was with the cereal. She heard a groan in response as confirmation to the question, followed by the noise of a sewing machine working. It was one of those days where they just called each other to keep themselves company, but the situation was different due to the temporary closed library and other common areas. As the situation progressed, Gigi’s anxiety started rubbing off on Crystal, like her positivity did once. 

_“Yes! That's the worst part of it all! It’s madness out there. Rock got sent off to panic buy”_ Crystal said, the pin needle in between her lips impeding her to speak well. Her mom sent her off to buy filters for functional fabric face masks for her to wear until she could send her daughter some medical ones, that’s if she had to stay in California. Gigi’s mom helped her on her scout of such fabric more than gladly when Crystal contacted her about it. A knock was heard lowly through the line _“Wait a second”_

Gigi identified muffled sounds, followed by a ‘thank fuck!’. There she noticed how uneasy Crystal was; she hated cursing, specially saying ‘fuck’ and it’s derivatives, but now she spoke the word like it was her main priority. Waiting for her to come back to the phone seemed like an eternity for the uneased brunette, who used the time to realize she had to touch up her hair dye and trim her bangs or get a completely new hairstyle. 

_“I seriously do not understand why there is so much toilet paper, but thanks Rock! Wash your hands before you leave”_ Gigi heard a little less far away before the voice returned to the phone. _“Rock got me food. And an unusual amount of toilet paper for some fucking reason. Something related to people taking all of it”_ She heard a box opening, the rustling of a bag and the sound of Crystal eating. Most probably Lucky charms. 

“Toilet paper? Not the food, toilet paper… huh…” Gigi pondered about the apparent situation, trying to make sense out of it, only to fail doing so. Why would people hoard toilet paper? The virus wasn’t prone to give diarrhea or anything of the sort. The irrational fear the public had could be classified as another historic event of mass hysteria, known in the medical field as MPI (mass psychogenic illness). It could vary from Black Friday shopping gone wrong to a dancing epidemic in the 1500s. It was apparent hoarding toilet paper was an appropriate reaction to the pandemic, thus causing MPI. That’s the most reasonable explanation Gigi could come with after listening to Dahlia talk about her psych class she took for extra credit. 

Crystal cringed at the sound of moans across the hall, but not from disgust but from jealousy. _“You know I love you very much, right?”_ She commented after a while of comfortable silence. **‘How can she even read through their silence on the phone?’** Gigi’s mind wandered after being told just what she needed to hear in that precise moment. 

“I really do. And I love you very much too” Gigi sighed. “I miss you and you’re only a block away” As the dean, who was also campus director, was a germaphobe a curfew was issued for all students with real punishments, unless there was a valid reason for them to be outside their rooms like bringing each other groceries. But seeing your partner wasn’t one of them apparently, hence why suddenly everyone was having sex being locked away in a dorm with their lover. Dahlia was deep asleep on her left, her open suitcase on the windowsill stared down at them threateningly, while the empty bed by her right side haunted her. 

The sound of the sewing machine stopped abruptly _“I just wanna kiss you”_ Crystal started singing. Gigi tried to keep her laugh silent at her girlfriend’s terrible rendition of Soulja boy’s ‘Kiss me thru the phone’ _“But I can’t right now so baby kiss me through the phone”_

“Oh shut up you’re going to make me laugh!” Gigi half screamed/half whispered, looking over at Dahlia stirring in her bed. 

_“That’s the point, bub”_ Crystal mused, the smile she carried evident in her voice. A loud slurp rang through the silence _“Sorry, Rock got me a Baskin Robbins milkshake”_ Gigi stifled a laugh once more, a little surprised by her girlfriend’s unhealthy late night meal. 

The smile she fell asleep with dissolved the minute she was woken up by Dahlia packing to go back to New York. And then she found out Jan was doing the same and was on the same flight as her. Then yet again, Jackie was packing for Canada heading towards her mother’s house. Jaida was one of the last ones to make the decision of leaving, taking her time to really figure out what to do. It was like they were all in a competition, getting eliminated and sent home one by one. 

“A lockdown? That’s ridiculous” Gigi mustered looking up from her phone, knowing well it was a blatant lie. The situation was dangerous and she was definitely freaking out. But what she dreaded the most was knowing Crystal was in front of her, packing her bags and heading to Missouri. One thousand, seven hundred and nineteen miles away. Twenty five hours away by car. With a three hour difference, to be exact. Her suspicions were confirmed as soon as her girlfriend opened her mouth. 

“My mom is freaking out, she can’t go on supermarket runs and my brother is getting too exposed” Crystal avoided to look at her as she picked up the dorm, while Gigi was fetching for those hazel eyes that felt like home. She would quarantine in Crystal’s eyes if she could. But her favorite place in the world was just a beautiful set of eyes carried by an even more beautiful person, not just an actual structure. “I need to go back home, I can’t stay here.” 

Crystal stalled making the decision of packing her bags and leaving, but after a stay-at-home order the government of California was going to officially issue on March 16th and class was cancelled indefinitely on Friday, so she was left with no other option to mirror her friends’ actions and pack up her things. She even boxed the belongings she was leaving behind, using crates from IKEA with her name on them, paranoid from the time she came back from summer vacation and the dorm looked like it was raided. The school could just do anything they pleased with the empty dorms, so she rather prevent it than lament it later. She sucked in the tears, taking a deep fat breath in before closing the suitcase. 

“When are you leaving?” Gigi broke the tense silence. Probably the first one they’ve experienced in their relationship so far. The truth was eating the shit out of her, and though Crystal had her full devotion, she could hate her sometimes. But now it was more of an irrational reason. Crystal didn’t produce covid on a lab. It’s not her fault. 

“Tomorrow at 6 AM” She said, zipping up the second smaller suitcase, placing it next to her duffel bag, bigger suitcase and backpack. The room lost all her essence; The turntable and records were now packed in a box she was taking with her since the items too valuable to leave behind, the posters on the wall were rolled up and placed away on a box, along with her artwork. The frame full of concert ticket stubs found itself inside the small suitcase, along all the pictures ripped off the wall. Just like the situation, it was depressing. The only thing left behind was the empty exposed rack, the empty desk full of paint splotches and the glow in the dark stars in the ceiling. 

Gigi extended her arms out, asking for a hug. Crystal sneaked into her embrace, resting on her lap, with her legs wrapped around her lover’s waist. They just held each other, crying quietly to not startle one another. Crystal hasn’t even left yet, but Gigi already felt her missing piece. She didn’t even care about curfew or that other people in the sorority were looking for her; her friends were already gone, and all that she cared for was Crystal. 

“I hate to be the one to interrupt this but traffic is going to get heavy, carebear” Gigi sighed, their last hug that once seemed to last an eternity, became just bare empty seconds, both wanting more and more from each other. 

The sky was tinted in oranges, yellows and a variety of blues. The song playing inside the car wasn’t helping. If anything, it just made things worse. The combination of the sky and the sweet vocals Ricky Nelson provided in _Lonesome Town_ were usually calming, but there still was a heaviness in the air. There were several students in similar situations, but they were more distressed rather than tearful. Crystal gasped for air, trying to calm down her sobs, doing so successfully. “I could leave ten years earlier and traffic would still be heavy” She smiled bittersweetly, having a deja vù from her first day back on campus after summer break. 

Crystal pulled her in for a kiss, one that expressed everything and nothing. But it was clear she meant for it to be a _‘see you later’_ kiss, not a _‘goodbye’_ one. “I love you Geeg” She started to move away slowly, their hands still interconnected. 

“I love you too Crissy. I’ll see you soon” Gigi assured, their hands parting ways, painfully so. She hated how good Crystal looked in her orange button sweater and how much she was going to miss the sight of the blue backpack full of pins along with the hideous pink Croc purse that rested on the passenger seat. She wished she was sitting there instead with their friends spread out between the backseat and trunk, like it used to be. 

Crystal blew a kiss at her and gave her a wink before speeding away. Gigi tried everything to hold in the tears, doing so unsuccessfully as the car drove away. She cuddled into Crystal’s purple cardigan, inhaling the scent of lavender, fresh linen and her perfume before heading to her own room to finish packing, her mom due to pick her up at noon. 

_[ geeg in red: keep me updated babe. I miss you already ]_

**[ Crissy Bear: i’ll text you once i get home or make a pit stop. i miss you even more ]**

This was about to be a hard year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the day i wrote this i was having a super bad day and i literally cried writing their goodbyes. honestly going back and thinking about the mentality i had in march felt so foreign. i literally do not know the girl i was when quarantine started back in january-march and i got super emotional there too.


	2. i will survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you think I’d crumble?  
> Did you think I’d lay down and die?  
> Oh no not I, I will survive  
> Oh as long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive”

_[ Crissy Bear: just got home. i’m going to pass out from exhaustion but before i do that, tic tac says hi]_  
_[ photo attachment ]_

[ geeg in red: jeez that was a long drive. i can’t believe you didn’t make any stops ]  
[ geeg in red: TIC TAC THE LOVE OF MY LIFE ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: idk, if i stopped i felt like i was going to get even more tired and just end up staying at hotel in the middle of nowhere ]_  
_[ Crissy Bear: hey! don’t replace me with my cat :/ ]_

[ geeg in red: says the one who cuddled my dog instead of me ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: ugh touché ]_  
_[ Crissy Bear: wait why aren’t you asleep? it’s like 4 am back there ]_

[ geeg in red: idk. i was just worried about you. i haven’t heard from you in almost 8 hours so i was just waiting for this text to go to sleep ]  
[ geeg in red: go rest baby, i’m sure you’re exhausted. we’ll talk when we wake up ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: okay bub. you rest too, okay? ttyl ]_

[ geeg in red: okay. sweet dreams, babe ] 

**no snitches, only bad bitches**

[ Daddy Cox: hey girls ]  
[ Daddy Cox: I know we’re all officially out of campus, is everyone safe? ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Locked away and blasting I will survive by Gloria Gaynor constantly ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Damn that’s the good stuff ] 

[ The Backpack: I guess we’re all alright. Everyone here is home and safe, hopefully ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i fucking hate this you guys ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: i want to go outside and breathe ] 

[ Daddy Cox: rock, lockdown just started ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: and???? it can be six months away from today and i’ll still be tired of it ]

[ The Backpack: The whole country is going into quarantine tomorrow like 24/7, this is crazy ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Good luck with that. We’ve been at it almost since I arrived. It’s… stressful ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I hate to be the one to ask because Ik I won’t like the answer but please elaborate ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: We can only leave our houses to walk the dogs and go to the supermarket ]  
[ Pepe Le Pew: I don’t have a fucking dog as you might notice so i can only go out to the store and the pharmacy next door. I would literally just stare at beauty products to do something else rather than be at home, so they added a time limit per visitor ]  
[ Pepe Le Pew: And every meal has to be home cooked. Me and my sister are not used to cooking. It’s a nightmare when maman asks us to help her ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: thank god my parents can cook ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: But can you? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: you know i can’t turn on a stove, you don’t have to kinkshame me about it ] 

[ The Backpack: I’m glad I’m stuck with my mom. I’ve missed her. We can watch Hairspray and sing together! ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Yo Jan so that was you who was singing down the street last night? ] 

[ The Backpack: If you live anywhere in NYC, most probably! ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: don’t you live in hell’s kitchen and dahlia in brooklyn like crossing the river? ] 

[ The Backpack: We are loud singers in my family ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Thanks for the serenade but at midnight I hit the sheets so pack it up Teen beach movie ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Hit the sheets for what? WWE practice? I know damn well you’re not going to sleep at midnight, you texted me at 9 am here, aka 3 am in nyc ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: not miss nicky coming forward with the receipts to end careers ] 

[ Daddy Cox: At least that’s going well for you, Jansy. My mom sat me down and asked me to explain her the, and I quote, “facilities of homosexual intercourse” ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i can’t take you seriously rn, i read that with the impression you always do of her ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I would have honestly told her to google it herself. Gift her a wlw playboy magazine. Y’all gotta have some of that stuff in the north ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: I would just tell her I do not have the facilities for that because that convo seemed to be very awkward ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: how can she not have the facilities?? the only thing you need for lesbian sex is a pussy, fingers, mouth and tongue. the rest is just an added plus ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Chile what did I just walk back into ] 

[ The Backpack: A healthy discussion of the facilities of homosexual intercourse ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Sweet Jesus ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Wait where are the main homosexuals of this chat? ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Gigi is back in her home, probably asleep ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Crystal was driving to Springfield but I haven’t heard from her in a while ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Wait then if we haven’t heard from Crystal in a while… She’s not safe and sound as far as we know! When asked earlier 'is everyone safe?' i meant EVERYONE ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: I told you what I know, last time she texted me it was like yesterday at five. I’m sure she’s just fine ] 

[ Daddy Cox: How can you be so sure? ]

[ Confusia the 3rd: Ah fuck now I’m nervous too ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: miss crystal? miss crystal? oh my fucking god, she fucking dead ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Y’all are too much ] 

[ Lady Bird: i heard you bitches was looking for me ]  
[ Lady Bird: you can’t get rid of me that easily ] 

[ The Backpack: Where were you girl? ] 

[ Lady Bird: i drove all night long, got home at 7 AM and passed tf out ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Where’s your girl? ]

[ Lady Bird: my girl my girl myyy girl ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: YOU WILL BE MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL MYYY GIIIRRL ] 

[ The Backpack: YOU WILL BE MY WORLD MY WORLD MY WORLD MYYY WORLD ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Not the girl in red singing session ] 

[ Lady Bird: okay fine i'll answer that. she’s very much asleep right now, she stayed up late ]  
[ Lady Bird: anyways, i was about to sleep for a full 12 hours but my cat decided to wake me up because he couldn’t open the door by himself and was tired of hearing me snore ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: You have a cat?? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: you seriously haven’t heard from the legend tic tac is? ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Who are we talking about? ] 

[ Lady Bird: tic tac, my precious little chunky boy ]  
_[ 10 photo attachments ]_

[ Dwayne Johnson: tic tac stans RISE ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Damn he is fat ] 

[ Lady Bird: my mom keeps feeding him more food because that’s her way of expressing love and the vet said he’s not unhealthy since my brother forces him to take walks so we’re good. ] 

[ Camp Counselor: are we talking about our lord and savior tic tac here?? ] 

[ Daddy Cox: I don’t like cats that much but yours looks extra huggable, Crystal ] 

_Lady Bird reacted “love” to Daddy Cox’s message_

[ Confusia the 3rd: ^^ I second that ] 

[ The Backpack: I am a Tic Tac stan first, human second ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Hell, I just met the cat and I would die for him ] 

_Lady Bird and 2 others reacted “!!” to Fierce Broccoli’s message_

[ Camp Counselor: this is a tic tac stan groupchat ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Periodt poo ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Wait Gigi were you seriously asleep all this time? ] 

[ Camp Counselor: oh yes. I went to bed at like 4 am waiting for Crystal to tell me she had gotten home safely ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: aww that’s so sweet ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: y’all make me sick tho ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am also a tic tac stan. i love chunky animals.  
> btw the difference between private messages and groupchat messages is that i usually put the gc name on top and the person typing in the dms is not in cursive, in case there's any confusion regarding that. when i said this was a texting fic, i meant a lot of texting. i would usually alternate between text and regular chapters but we'll see how that works. thank you sm for reading!!


	3. thinkin' bout you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ My eyes don't shed tears, but, boy, they pour  
> When I'm thinkin' 'bout you  
> I been thinkin' 'bout you  
> I been thinkin' 'bout you  
> Do you think about me still?  
> Do you, do you? “

**no snitches, only bad bitches**

[ Daddy Cox: These people are fucking clowns ] 

[ Lady Bird: wow wow WOW what made auntie cox mad? ] 

[ The Backpack: Online teaching ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: I fucking hate it. Me and my sister are trying to squeeze in the studio, she can’t take classes in her room but NOO, let’s bother Nikole who doesn’t have enough space for a sewing machine in her room ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Wait we’re supposed to be taking classes?!?!?! ] 

[ Camp Counselor: where tf were you dahlia? the teacher was asking when class started ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT DIDN’T KNOW?????? ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: If it’s of any consolation, i forgot for a second ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Oh so you’re behind too? ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: I said for a second, not the whole class Ms. Gurl. I looked ROUGH but I still took the class ]  
[ Fierce Broccoli: Well it’s not my problem I’ve lost all concept of time ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Weren’t you just baking banana bread earlier? ] 

[ The Backpack: Not this ] 

[ Camp Counselor: I love when nicky comes in with the receipts ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: You’re a bully, Nicole ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Oh tu sais que tu m’aimes ]

[ Fierce Broccoli: Okay Madame Girl ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: MADAME INSTEAD OF MISS ]  
[ Confusia the 3rd: my year has been fixed, coronavirus has been cured, my edges have been laid, my nails are done, this is everything ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I know, I know. I am brilliant, you don't have to remind me ]

[ Daddy Cox: As I was saying, I’m tired of online classes. How am I even supposed to learn??? The whole class is sleeping so the teacher spends almost the entire time trying to wake everyone up ] 

[ The Backpack: Baby, I love you but class would flow better if you weren’t snitching out on everyone that wasn’t paying attention or sleeping or weren’t even in the zoom meeting ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Snitches get stitches ] 

[ Daddy Cox: And I will take them bitches, I don’t care ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i honestly just gave up. I left all my supplies in my dorm room anyway ] 

[ Lady Bird: i could never. i made my car a freaking uhaul and took all my supplies with me ] 

[ The Backpack: Why? You can just leave and lock them in your dorm ] 

[ Lady Bird: that would be beautiful, if they weren’t such mf thieves ]  
[ Lady Bird: whatever i got, they stole it. whatever they wanna get, they gon steal it. ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: I think you’re exaggerating a bit there, Crystal ] 

[ Lady Bird: I’m not. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, me and my ex-roommate found the room looking like a mess with some things missing, and when we set up a complaint the school admitted they sent cleaning services in because of a roach infestation in a building nearby and they might have taken stuff from us ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: yikes i forgot about that ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Oh God you weren’t really lying about the rob part ] 

[ Lady Bird: i! never! lie!!!!!!!! ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: what about that time you called your supervisor at the bowling alley telling her your roommate was sick and you’ll be covering the late night shift but the truth was you were baked off your ass to the point you couldn’t even sit up right? ] 

[ Lady Bird: JAIDA I TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCE ]  
[ Lady Bird: okay fine maybe i lie a little ] 

[ The Backpack: Oh damn ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: What did you smoke? Crack? ] 

[ Lady Bird: no. rock did one of hers and gave me brownies she swore that were regular ones. i even sniffed them to check and they smelled normal so i ate like 4 and drank a redbull because i was hungry. ]  
[ Lady Bird: so i was fucking tricked. i went to work that night, took extra work and stayed up until 5 AM working projects that weren’t due in a couple weeks ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: hey i remember that night ] 

[ Lady Bird: do you? ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Why do you have to stick your nose in every bad situation, Roxanne? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: leave your phone aside until you’re not a bitch, Jacqueline ] 

[ Daddy Cox: You know what? You’re right Rock ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i am???????? ] 

[ Daddy Cox: I’m clearly angry right now and I’m being bitchy. I’ll text you guys when I’m feeling better ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: omg ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: omg omg omg omg omg ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: i made a coherent suggestion that someone actually followed? bye don’t talk to me, i’m superior now ] 

[ The Backpack: How much time until she gives us a horrible suggestion? ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: I give her three days ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: I give her three hours ] 

[ Lady Bird: i give her three minutes ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i hate y’all ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: anyways i’m kinda hungry and my mum is hoarding the oven, should i heat up a pizza in the air fryer? ] 

[ Lady Bird: oop there it is ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Wait but isn't the air fryer for, yk, frying???? ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Yeah that’s what I thought. Don’t you just put like fries, frozen chicken nuggets and food like that in there?? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: idk. i’ve made cookies in there ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: I just placed it in, let’s wait until later for the results ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Okay I’m going to bet she’s going to burn her house down ] 

[ The Backpack: Aw cut her some slack. I’m sure her little experiment is going to turn out perfectly fine ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: You know what? I agree with Jan here. ]  
[ Fierce Broccoli: I’m doing this thing where I’m more positive, so I’m placing my bets on a successful air fryer pizza even though I still don’t understand how that would work ] 

[ Camp Counselor: Yeah, I agree with the others. Let’s be positive!! ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: uh guys,,, i think i burnt it a little ]  
[ photo attachment ] 

[ Camp Counselor: UGH C’MON ] 

[ The Backpack: Damnit Rock ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU ]  
[ Fierce Broccoli: HOW DARE YOU. LEARN SOMETHING FROM THIS ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: I hate to be the one to say it but I told you so ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: How did you even manage to let it turn out like that?? Didn’t you smell it burning? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: I did but I thought it was part of the natural cooking process ] 

[ Daddy Cox: The pizza is literally black. You can use it as coal to fuel locomotives ] 

**Private Chat**

[ geeg in red: crissy ] 

[ geeg in red: babe ] 

[ geeg in red: crystal ] 

[ geeg in red: you better show up rn bc i’m thinkin bout you ]

[ geeg in red: just like that frank ocean song ] 

**no snitches, only bad bitches**

[ Confusia the 3rd: Y’all better pay up, I told you so ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: okay whatever but i’m starving, do the thinking for me and tell me what to eat ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Rock, have you asked your mom if she’s cooking anything for lunch? ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: oh right, I forgot ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: You forgot your mom existed????? ] 

[ Camp Counselor: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ]  
[ Camp Counselor: crystal elizabeth methyd better show up in my dms in the next five minutes. if not, i’m going to snap. and you’re not going to hear the end of it ] 

[ The Backpack: Wait but what are you going to do? ] 

[ Camp Counselor: snap. ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: a potato flew around my room before you came— ]_  
_[ Crissy Bear: sorry baby doll, i was taking tic tac out for a walk ]_

[ geeg in red: those are not the lyrics but i appreciate the vine reference ]  
[ geeg in red: no worries sunshine, how did that go? ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: by walk i meant dragging him around. He was a little cranky today, but started jumping around when we arrived at my neighbors’ garden. ]_

[ geeg in red: that girl heidi you’ve told me about, right? ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: yup. i said hi to her from afar, it was sad. i started crying while trying to apologize for tic tac laying down in her marigolds ]_

[ geeg in red: are you feeling okay now baby? ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: i guess ]_  
_[ Crissy Bear: this whole situation is very hard, geeg. i miss you ]_

[ geeg in red: i just wanna kiss you but i can’t right now so baby kiss me through the phone ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: i can’t believe you just pulled that one on me ]_

[ geeg in red: back to you, elizabeth ]  
[ geeg in red: how’s your dad? haven’t really heard any news about him ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: and for a reason ]_  
_[ Crissy Bear: i admire my mom so much now, i’ve been here for almost two weeks and i’m devastated, but she’s been holding it together perfectly ]_

[ geeg in red: is it that bad? ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: can i call you tonight? ]_

[ geeg in red: sure babycakes, what time? ] 

_[ Crissy Bear: 9 PM? in your time zone? ]_

[ geeg in red: you got yourself a date, miss methyd ] 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> publishing this while a tipsy is one of the funniest experiences i've had in a while. (i looked back at it when i was feeling better dw) i didn't want to wait since I KNOW next chapter is going to take longer.  
> also for that air fryer cookie thing: temperature to 325 F/160 C for 16 minutes and enjoy!! please do not be like rock and check them every once in a while.


	4. this is home/can i call you tonight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Turn off your porcelain face  
> I can't really think right now and this place  
> There's too many colours  
> Enough to drive all of us insane”   
> //   
> “So can I call you tonight?  
> I'm trying to make up my mind  
> Just how I feel  
> Could you tell me what's real?  
> I hear your voice on the phone  
> Now I'm no longer alone  
> Just how I feel  
> Could you tell me what's real anymore?  
> 'Cause I wouldn't know”

Crystal took a deep breath in while setting her phone down and aside on the cluttered desk. Her chest rose up and down with the sudden heaviness of the air while she pushed herself out of the suddenly uncomfortable desk chair and got up, rubbing her eyes. Was it the constant headache or tears that were stinging her eyes? God only knew at this point. 

She stretched up, the hoodie riding up to expose her stomach. Her mind was back in Los Angeles, but the window reminded her she was back where she started. Having to take classes in another time zone was disorienting her. But her heart felt for people that went to college in New York but lived in Japan, for example. A three hour difference shouldn’t be much for her to tolerate. But somehow it was. 

Lockdown was hard. The girls haven’t really found the day they would vent to each other, everyone so overwhelmed with online classes they couldn’t find the time to sit down and really talk to each other. Thus, Crystal didn’t have anyone to talk to about her issues with her father and having to take care of the chores around the house instead of using her time to do homework in a more tranquil manner. She swallowed in the knot tightening her throat and peeled off the post-it message from her window, once she moved away from the ridiculous form of conversation and continued speaking to Heidi by text. She saved the used squares for later purposes, maybe another art piece with recycled pieces of paper. 

She stripped out of her shorts, next the hoodie, leaving a trail of clothes following to the bathroom. She forgot how much she missed showering at home. Crystal took her time, feeling the heat caress her bare skin, feeling free to use the remaining hot water as everyone else at home was sleeping. It was only 10:30, but suddenly everyone in the home had become early sleepers. She sighed, knowing the reason was the pills made her father sleepy, and her mother and brother were exhausted by 8:30 already. She slid down the wall and with her body curled into a ball she allowed herself to cry once again, for the second time that day. Everything was so tiring and Jackie was right, online classes sucked ass. For all she knew, they could suck her nonexistent dick. 

Her mind blinked awake at the thought of an upcoming call with her girlfriend, and Crystal tried to pull herself together as soon as she could. Suddenly, she was up and running around the house scouting for food, her hair wrapped in a t-shirt as it dried, Gigi’s sweater fitted against her, covering her body a little bit above her lower abdomen so she paraded around the house with naked legs and in her underwear. 

Crystal laughed happily at the sight of leftover focaccia, a bread she so proudly baked. She drizzled olive oil and parmesan to set it on the mini oven they used to warm up small things, like pizza or bread that didn’t fit in the toaster. She stopped making some marinara sauce when she realized how her whole mood changed at only the thought of her girlfriend. God, Crystal missed Gigi so much. 

_[ geeg in red: hey babe! i can’t wait an hour more to talk to you, can i call you now? ]_

Crystal’s eyes lit up at the text, she stopped stirring the mixture in the saucepan and turned the heat off once it was hot enough, and reached for her phone to type a response [ Crissy Bear: ofc baby! i can’t wait to talk to you ] 

Without missing a beat, a call popped up on the screen, Crystal accepting it happily. “Hello baby!” 

_“Hi my dear”_ Gigi’s voice purred through the line, the tone similar to the one she used for their... interesting late night calls, the voice that sent shivers down Crystal's spine _“Watchu’ doin’?”_ Her tone shifted from dirty to sweet in a matter of seconds, unknowingly melting her girlfriend on the other side of the line.

“Just finished making myself dinner!” Crystal hummed happily, grabbing her plate and going upstairs with a white claw in hand, holding the phone tight against her ear with her shoulder. 

_“Isn’t it a bit late for dinner?”_ Gigi questioned, doing the math on her head. 11 PM. She knew Crystal usually had dinner at 7:30. 

“I couldn’t have dinner with everyone else since I was in the middle of a seminar, so I had to make myself something. Besides, time is nothing but a construct” She set the plate down on her bed, organizing the desk surface a little bit to find the plate some space for her to sit there and eat. “It’s the focaccia recipe I sent you, it tastes amazing” 

_“I can’t wait for tomorrow! I left the dough overnight rising, I’ll feed it in the morning and bake it in the afternoon”_ She responded happily, a comfortable silence settling in for a few minutes, Crystal eating quietly in the meantime. _“Talking about your family… You didn’t tell me how your dad was doing…”_ Gigi hated to remind her of their pending conversation topic, more so when she could hear Crystal’s breath stifling. 

“Right… Uh, he’s okay I guess. He takes his meds everyday for the pain but… um, he’s losing mobility. Slowly but surely” Gigi’s heart broke at the sound of Crystal’s voice breaking through the line “The rest of us now have a lot of work to do around the house since truth be told, he was extremely helpful around here and we didn’t even realize how much things he did” She sucked a fat breath in, choking out a sob before the tears inevitably started flowing down her flustered cheeks. 

“I’m sorry” Crystal couldn’t help but apologize, trying to calm down the whiny sobs. 

_“There’s nothing to be sorry for, baby. It’s okay, just let it out”_ Gigi cooed, feeling a thin string of tears run down her own cheeks as Crystal’s cries echoed through the phone. _“I wish I was there for you”_

“I-I miss you s-so much Geeg! This situation s-sucks fucking ass!” Crystal choked out between sobs, her cries had suddenly turned angrier and frustrated, rather than sad. She pushed herself out of the desk chair, the pace around her room distracting her enough to calm herself down, even if it was just a little “T-this isn’t fair…” Her voice resembled a little baby throwing a temper tantrum, letting her girlfriend know she was in fact holding things in for too long. 

_“I miss you too baby”_ Gigi sniffled _“Two weeks away from your birthday I thought we’ll be already celebrating, together”_

“Are you crying too?! Don’t cry! That’s my job!” Crystal said, swiping away her tears and letting out a teary chuckle as she plopped in her bed. She had only seen Gigi cry of sadness once. She showed up on her dorm in tears, lamenting how all their friends were leaving. That same night, she gave her the news she was leaving too.

“Don't remind me… your twenty-first birthday is supposed to be the most legendary out of them all… Even though I don’t think it would make a difference, I’ve been drinking since I was like, fifteen” 

A lightbulb lit on top of Gigi’s head, a devilish smirk spreading around her face with the idea bubbling on her head _“Oh I’m sure it’s not going to be THAT bad”_

“It’s going to be terrible, don’t lie to me like that” Crystal sighed, crossing off another day in the calendar next to her window. Exactly two weeks for her birthday and the country was still in lockdown, with curfews set around the nation and only essential businesses open. 

_“I’m sure it won’t be”_ Gigi said absentmindedly, taking the phone away from her ear and starting to browse through instagram, looking for a specific user. 

“How can you be so sure?” Crystal wondered, caught off guard by her girlfriend’s sudden confident tone. 

_“I’m just sure. Trust me on this one, sunshine”_

**‘Bingo’** Gigi mentally celebrated, clicking on the profile, following it with a quick movement of her finger and hitting the ‘Message’ button. 

[ thegigigoode: hii!! idk if you’ve heard about me but I’m crystal’s girlfriend. I need your help with something important ] 

_[ heidincloset: Hello there! How could I not have heard about you? Miss Crystal doesn’t shut up about you ]  
[ heidincloset: I’m intrigued, what’s up? ]_

[ thegigigoode: so about crystal’s birthday… ] 

_[ heidincloset: I’m all ears!! ]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooh gigi's got a plan hehehehehehehehe
> 
> finally got the time to sit down and write this and a few other chapters! between classes and another project i’m working on (stay tuned for that one also! i’m so so so so SO excited for it) i really haven’t had the time to actually write. but this is going to be much a smaller read than girl in red was, shorter and less chapters. i’m sure the next chapter won’t take as long to publish as i’m already revising it!


	5. the greatest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I miss Long Beach and I miss you, babe  
> I miss dancin' with you the most of all  
> I miss the bar where the Beach Boys would go  
> Dennis' last stop before Kokomo
> 
> Those nights were on fire  
> We couldn't get higher  
> We didn't know that we had it all  
> But nobody warns you before the fall”

** no snitches, only bad bitches  **

[ Daddy Cox: Oh my god guys, we’re T minus 13 days for our girl Crystal’s birthday ] 

[ Lady Bird: ma’am, with all due respect, shut up. ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Excuse me? ] 

[ Lady Bird: you’ve been excused ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Not this ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: SJSJDJZKAKJASH WHY AM I SCREAMING AT THIS ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Same Rock, same ] 

[ Daddy Cox: I was trying to be nice miss Crystal ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: funny how fans turn into your bitches ] 

[ Lady Bird: it’s nothing personal, jack. i’m just not looking forward to the event ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: why? cause the whole country is in lockdown and if you caught the rona it you could survive but it can be potentially deadly for the rest of your relatives? ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Damn Rock you’re not helping ]  
[ Confusia the 3rd: Like, AT ALL ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Oh at all ] 

[ Camp Counselor: miss Rock you’re not funny ] 

[ Lady Bird: roxanne i'm going to wail like la llorona because of you ]  
[ Lady Bird: i'm also going to eat your kids ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: WAIT NO MY BAD ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: OH I WAS JOKING BITCH ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: ew i hate children ] 

[ Lady Bird: sis me too, that's why i'm eating them. but it's your fault anyways ]

[ The Backpack: Look at what you’ve done, Rock! You gave this perfectly functional Crystal anxiety! ] 

[ Lady Bird: january, i appreciate the sentiment and the reference but i’m sorry to inform i’ve had anxiety all this time ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: press F in the chat for condolences ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: F ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: F ] 

[ The Backpack: F ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: F ] 

[ Camp Counselor: F ] 

[ Daddy Cox: F ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: thank u ladies ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: anyways guys i think i’m getting kicked out ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: or at least i’m scared of it ] 

[ Lady Bird: WGSY????? ]  
[ Lady Bird: *what ] 

[ The Backpack: ROCK ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: can we talk? this is one of the first few times in my life i’m being serious ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Okay everybody leave their classes right now. We’re talking. ] 

[ Lady Bird: thought you’d never ask. I’m off ] 

[ Daddy Cox: That was quick. I’m out ] 

[ The Backpack: Done. I’m out ] 

[ Camp Counselor: out ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Out ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Out too ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Yeah we out here in this bitch ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: finna get crunk ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Eyebrows on fleek ] 

[ Lady Bird: the fuck ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Okay okay back to some seriousness ]

[ Dwayne Johnson: i honestly feel like i’m going to get kicked out of my house because i’m always like “oh my sexuality is like the wind, it just flows” so my mom took it as it “okay she likes women and men. so she will end up married to a guy” but i’ve come to the realization that maybe i don’t like men. like at all. ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: wait no i regret getting serious ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: anyways what did you guys have for lunch ] 

[ Lady Bird: rock, we’re already serious. there’s no turning back now ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: aw fuck ] 

[ Daddy Cox: I totally get what you’re saying, Rock. I’ve been there myself. And honestly all you can do is trust yourself and give everyone some time ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: alsomymumisnottakinglockdownwellandimscaredshefallsbackintoaddiction anyways what are y’all having for dinner ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Oh Lawd… ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Rock, girlie, if you need us for anything, you know that we’re here for you ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: ^^ We’re here for you so you can be there for your mama. Research on how you can help her, there’s a lot of programs and therapists who have switched online to a minimum cost, it can help ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: I’ve noticed I’m getting a little more anxious in quarantine too, I didn’t believe in therapy because I thought therapists were snitches but… virtual therapy has been great. My family doesn’t know anything so there goes the snitches part ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: imagine your card declines at therapy so they just bring in your dad ] 

[ The Backpack: My worst nightmare ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Dahlia, you’re taking psych classes. If anything you’re a snitch too ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Yeah but I know and accept that. Them other hoes in my class tho… ] 

[ Camp Counselor: going back to what we were talking about, this is a very tough process… taking in help to take care of you and your loved ones is more than necessary ] 

[ Lady Bird: just approach her abt it and say it in a way you know she’ll understand. both things. And if you’re not ready to come out as queer to her, than don’t. ] 

[ The Backpack: Everything has its perfect timing when it’s about coming out ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: damn guys i wish i could hug every single one of you ]

[ The Backpack: I miss you guys so much ]

[ Fierce Broccoli: Honestly I’m going to miss going to clubs with y’all. The experiences were out of this world ] 

[ Daddy Cox: I miss going to the diner so much ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: I miss the beach like Venice, Santa Monica. I adore Côte d'Azur but it’s hours away from here and you need a house to stay at ] 

[ Lady Bird: getting high doesn’t feel the same without you guys ] 

[ Camp Counselor: I miss going out dancing. It could be at any of the dorms, or the beach or at a club. But I miss it ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: I miss getting ready with someone else there. Like the little pre games. I feel like I’m going to cry now ] 

[ Lady Bird: i’m already crying ]  
_[ 1 photo attachment ]_

[ Confusia the 3rd: Okay y’all send pics crying ] 

_[ new photo attachments from Confusia the 3rd and 4 others ]_

[ Camp Counselor: i can’t believe you guys made me cry. i never cry ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Y’all are too sentimental. I’m not crying ] 

[ Camp Counselor: liar. ] 

_[ 1 photo attachment ]_  
[ Fierce Broccoli: Fine, now I’m crying a lot more because Gigi exposed me ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Okay, we’ve overstepped our emotional tolerance ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i’m fucking emo now BYE ]  
[ Dwayne Johnson: as i was saying, you’re all too smart. thank you so much for the advice. and fuck you for making me feel like the dumbest one ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Oh Rock. We don’t make you feel like that. You do that to yourself ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: JAIDA MON DIEU ] 

[ Lady Bird: that wasn’t very treat people with kindness of you @Confusia the 3rd ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: It’s just a lil reading session y’all ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: i have to admit i laughed ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: See? She wasn’t offended ]  
[ Confusia the 3rd: @Pepe Le Pew: Stop being mad at me now ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Who said I was mad? I’m not. ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: Then why did you use that tone on me ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: Sweet Jesus ] 

[ Daddy Cox: @Camp Counselor Gigi, I noticed you changed your pronouns on your socials, is something… wrong? ]  
[ Daddy Cox: If you feel comfortable talking about this, of course ] 

[ Camp Counselor: oh yeah, yeah i’m okay with… that ]  
[ Camp Counselor: crystal already knows this but during this quarantine i’ve been really thinking about gender and stuff ]  
[ Camp Counselor: and I think I might be genderfluid? I’m comfortable with both she/her and they/them pronouns so far as I figure stuff out. hope you guys can understand ] 

[ The Backpack: Of course we understand Gigi! Even if we didn’t, our only duty is to respect your decisions ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: gigi, may i ask how did you know? ] 

[ Camp Counselor: I just… knew. I started thinking and just kept thinking. it was (and it still is) a little hard to apply that “gender is a social construct” to myself ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: yeah that makes sense. but thank you sm for trusting us enough with this information! i think we can all agree we appreciate you so so much, no matter what ] 

[ Confusia the 3rd: We’re here for you on anything you need girl, and that will never change ] 

[ Camp Counselor: ugh you guys are the best ]

[ Fierce Broccoli: I can’t believe I’m the one that’s suggesting this but ]  
[ Fierce Broccoli: We should do another one of those Zoom calls. I miss y’alls pretty faces ] 

[ Daddy Cox: We can kill two birds with one stone and celebrate Crystal’s birthday!! ] 

[ Lady Bird: I expect your birthday presents in my mailbox at the beginning of next week ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Can we do it on Tuesday? I don’t have any assignments for that day ] 

[ Lady Bird: then it’s settled. Birthday Zoom Party, Tuesday at 10 PM Regular/7 PM Cali/4 AM France. theme is the 70s!!!!! bc i said so!!!!! (and bc geeg has forced me to watch the two mamma mia movies on netflix party) ] 

[ Camp Counselor: oh you know you loved them ] 

[ Lady Bird: …yeah, i did ]  
[ Lady Bird: if you’re not 70s enough, I’m kicking you out. Jaida is co host by default btw ] 

[ The Backpack: Omg it’s “That 70s Zoom Party” ]

[ Confusia the 3rd: As Co-Host I am also Co-Organizer. Everyone attending say “Aye” ] 

[ Fierce Broccoli: A Y E ] 

[ Pepe Le Pew: Aye Aye! ] 

[ The Backpack: AYE AYE AYE ] 

[ Daddy Cox: Aye!!!!! ] 

[ Dwayne Johnson: A (and i can’t stress this enough) YE ] 

[ Lady Bird: see you there then ;) ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you even go through quarantine if you didn't think every fiber of your existence? i feel like the greatest by lana del rey describes that quarantine feel before we even knew we were going to end up in this situation. the combo she made with that song and fuck it i love you is just amazing. the whole norman fucking rockwell! album is honestly great, i recommend it!! 
> 
> aside from the fact that this is the first chapter i've ever published in broad daylight, this is the longest texting only chapter i’ve written, and probably the last one of this book. two more chapters and i’m officially done with the girl in red universe and you still don’t know what gigi is planning! hehehehehe fun fact: the other day i cried writing the last chapter, (or at least the rough outline of it) that shit kinda hurted ngl


	6. canyon moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Quick pause in conversation  
> She plays songs I've never heard  
> An old lover's hippie music  
> Pretends not to know the words  
> And I keep thinking back to  
> A time under the canyon moon
> 
> I'll be gone too long from you  
> I'm going, oh, I'm going  
> I'm going, oh, I'm going  
> I'm going, oh, I'm going home”

[ Heidi N Closet: Good morning Gigi! Everything set? ]

[ Gigi Goode: goode morning heidi! yes!! I just finished with everything so I’’ll text you when i’m ready ] 

Heidi was the main promoter of Gigi’s dangerous idea, but also had the help from everyone else. The pair was doing everything for the most part, but the role everyone else played was just as important: keeping the surprise a, well, surprise. So far, Crystal knew nothing about Gigi’s cross country adventure to spend, not only her birthday, but the entire summer with her. Her family, friends and extensive Instagram following— which she had blocked Crystal out of her stories so she could vent and share the whole cutesy process she was documenting— were doing an excellent job at keeping their mouths shut. 

“This is the best worst idea you’ve ever had” Mrs. Goode was the first one to admit as her daughter spun in her heels to face her family. “I love you my dear but you’re not that good of a driver to take this trip” 

“Not that good? Mom, she got her driver’s license on the third try” Her brother chimed in, and the nerves augmented visibly on Kristi’s face. 

“I cried a little that day” Mr. Goode said, his eyes diverting somewhere else when remembering the event. At eighteen, after two extensive years of paid lessons, Gigi finally got her license after failing miserably each time. 

“Ugh you’re all so dramatic. I’ll be fine!” Gigi checked the trunk once more, eyeing each suitcase and remembering their contents, thus running through her travel checklist. After checking at least four times, she closed the trunk and turned to her family. “Group hug?” 

The five of them joined in for a hug “We’ll miss you so much. Keep us updated and say hi to Crystal for us, okay?” Mr. Goode spoke after breaking away, leaning in to kiss his daughter’s forehead. 

Gigi nodded, giving her family one last smile before skipping her way to the front seat. As she sat down, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and started the car. There was no turning back now. 

“Take care, Genevieve, seriously! Car insurance is on the glove compartment and your own is on your wallet, always remember that! I’ll miss you!” Kristi knew she just couldn’t stop her daughter, and she knew she didn’t want to do so anyway. She was grown enough to make her own decisions, even if it implicated being away from home during a pandemic. 

[ Gigi Goode: i’m omw ;) call you when I get to the hotel in new mexico !! ] 

The sights surrounding Gigi were eerie, never in a million years she could have expected to drive down the streets of Los Angeles and not encounter any traffic. It resembled a post-apocalyptic reality you experienced on film; empty, colorless streets. The policemen stopped her constantly, forcing her to keep her permit in the cup holder to demonstrate she was allowed to drive through state borders during the situation. Thank God her dad had friends in the government. Her driving skills weren’t as horrible as everyone considered them to be, driving straight down copious amounts of streets that looked the same wasn't as dangerous as driving down jammed interstates. 

With numbers dropping drastically, the economy was starting to reopen. But it was taking its sacred time to do so, just for the safety of its citizens. A lot of people tried to protest the lockdowns, but they were arrested and revoked permit from using firearms for those who paraded around with them. 

Gigi remembered the first time she saw said protests against it, and how Jackie sent a lot of audios to their group chat, the combination of them equal an hour and a half of her just ranting about how stupid americans were and how she could be with her girlfriend right now but those kinds of people only made it worse. Even though, regardless of the people who were spreading the virus, there was no way on earth Jackie was going to New York City any soon. While states with lower numbers had curfews set but the rest were completely shut down. Everything. It made her even more concerned for Dahlia and Jan’s safety, but their updates regarding their health were positive. She was concerned for all her friends, dreading the day she might receive a text from any of them indicating the virus had caught up, and the future became uncertain with that simple statement. 

“No, no” Gigi condemned herself, shaking her head and pushing away negative energy “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts” She reminded herself, slowing down and reaching in to start the music on her phone. The classic strum that served as a warm, wonderful start to Harry Styles’ _Canyon Moon_ rang through the silence, overshadowing the sound of the wheels strolling down the streets. 

“And I’m still thinking back to the time under the canyon moon” Gigi hummed along with a smile, looking at the bright sky above “I’m going, oh I’m going. I’m going, oh I’m going. I’m going oh, I’m going home” She sang a little too terribly, her voice echoing through the empty vehicle. She laughed loudly, whistling along to the track. 

Gigi never thought she would relate so much to song lyrics, but in that moment they were all true. She was going back to Crystal Methyd. Gigi Goode was going home. 

“Let’s give it up for the birthday girl!” Applauses, cheers and whistles were heard through the call, as Crystal dramatically sat down on her chair in front of the screen. She was wearing a cropped striped bell sleeve top, with colorful ruffles that resembled a piñata. The tight waist of the bell bottom pants sucked everything in, giving her a nice shape. Aside from exploring the 70s in her clothing, she changed her glasses for a pair of heart shaped colorful sunglasses and the entire group was matching along with her. Jan found them in Party City and took a pair for each to use on their Christmas party. She suddenly felt like Gigi, who always had a vintage feel to her style. 

“Thank you, thank you!” Crystal laughed and shook the ruffles on her blouse before pushing her layered hair back dramatically. “I want to thank you all for being here. It means a lot” Crystal started “You all look incredible. Did you guys get what I asked for?” 

“Champagne from Champagne” Nicky said, pulling out an opulent bottle of champagne. The girls followed by, each showing their respective bottles to the camera.

“You seriously need to stop flexing on us your french benefits” Jackie humorously said, but her words were meant to sting, just a little. Like an electrical zap. 

“Oh my god, Dahlia, is that a _Moet et Chandon?_ ” Crystal went ahead and asked, leaning in to look at the screen. “Did you steal it?” 

“From a friend’s house, yes” Dahlia said proudly, staring at the expensive liquid “She’s going to kill me, but you guys, and by you guys I mean me, deserve the best!” 

“I didn’t find any champagne at the supermarket so I bought this grape flavored wine” Jaida replied absentmindedly, reading the label of the bottle in her hand. 

Nicky visibly rolled her eyes “Jaida, _mon chérie,_ wine is already grape flavored. I’ve told you this a hundred times” 

“Who says?” Jaida frowned upon her friends, clutching tight the bottle tight to her chest like a jealous mother to her child. 

“Jesus” Dahlia intervened, looking as aggravated as Nicky was. While the three were arguing, the others were busy scrambling around for cups. 

“Okay the point is that it’s alcohol. Let’s drink! At the count of three…” Crystal unwrapped the top of the bottle “Three… Two…” Her finger positioned under the cork, just like her father had taught her “One! Oh God!” She gasped, watching the cork fly to her window and bounce back, almost hitting her in the head. 

“To Crystal!” Jackie cheered, raising her glass. Crystal’s face twisted, only meaning one thing “Aww honey, don’t cry!” 

“I’m sorry… I just love you guys so much” She sniffled, cleaning the happy tears with a tissue “To me! _Salamati!_ ” They clicked their glasses (and bottles) to the camera, nostalgic smiles on their faces. Crystal wasn’t trying to continue her lament; her blue and yellow eye makeup took her too long to ruin it but all she wished for was to be with her friends, clinking their glasses together in person. 

The hours went by, mostly because of their meeting consisting of watching _Mamma Mia_ , dancing around whenever the songs played, drinking and commenting their theories on who the father was. 

“Where’s Gigi by the way?” Dahlia did one of hers, during their snack break in the middle of _Mamma Mia 2: Here we go again_. Part of the group who knew what was going on panicked for a split second, Dahlia herself included. Oh fuck. The alcohol was starting to get to her severely for her to forget the main event of the week. 

“Ugh I miss her so much. I miss holding her close, holding her hand, her smile, her hair, her body…” Crystal rambled, looking up at her ceiling “Oh, um… Chile, anyways SO… she’s just at her aunt’s beach house in Malibu, remember? It’s like up a hill so the signal sucks ass” Crystal said nonchalantly, sitting back up and cracking open a white claw. The group was visibly less distressed now by how she took in the lying. 

“Is she though?” Rock wondered. The conjoined panic didn’t last for less than ten seconds, but extended as Crystal removed the neon green silly straw away from her crimson painted lips and cocked her head to the side. 

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brows, getting comfortable in the seat, drink in hand. The group shifted uncomfortably in their own chairs. 

Just by then, even with the intoxication, Rock realized her mistake “Oh fuck, uh… Um… Oh nothing! I was just kidding. It was a joke” She chuckled nervously, watching how Crystal became even more unconvinced and her friends more panicked. “A… laugh, haha, funny” 

“Roxanne…” Crystal spoke slowly, leaning into the camera to stare at her directly with her eyes, her dilated pupils more clear then “Do you know something I don’t?” 

Rock opened and closed her mouth several times, her mind running through the options of what she could say at the moment, the minute a sound was about to actually leave her lips, Jaida kicked her off the meeting. 

“Oops! Looks like her internet clashed” She laughed nervously, gaining back a chorus of similar sounds. “We’ll finish this off without her now… Aw, so sad” She sighed, knowing damn well Rock deserved timeout to rethink her actions and get her shit together 

“I’m too drunk to even process what she was insinuating, cheers!” To the relief of her friends, Crystal shrugged the situation away quickly, taking a long sip of the white claw clutched in her hand. 

“I want to be Meryl Streep when I grow up” Jaida slurred, taking a swig of the last drops of grape flavored wine. The movie was finally over and Rock had rejoined “No, no. Never mind. I want to be Viola Davis. I’ll leave Meryl to Jan” She pointed to her screen, where Jan’s little face was positioned. 

“Thank you! I was about to fight you for her” Jan hiccuped, leaning back on her chair in a fit of giggles. Everyone was very much drunk almost four hours into the call. Jan and Jackie at first resisted, but then gave up to the temptation.

“What if I want to be Meryl Streep? Wait…” Rock sat up, grabbing everybody’s attention. “What if I _am_ Meryl Streep?!” Her pink eyes expanded in awe of her assumption. She wasn’t only drunk, but was high off this world. 

“But I thought I was Meryl Streep…” Crystal said, looking genuinely confused. Just like her dear friend Rock, she was sure she was astral projecting into another dimension. The room was lightly covered in fog, the whole image was a delight to watch. 

“It’s too early for this bullshit” Nicky yawned “Crystal, if I didn’t like you so much, I wouldn’t be here. It’s around 7 AM already” She peaked through her close blind, getting the blinding rays of sun in response to the action. 

“Don’t be so dramatic Nicky, you sleep until like what? Noon?” Dahlia said, a certain sass coming through. 

“Ooh… The revenge of the Dahlia” Rock said lowly, playing off a mysterious tone. 

“It was time I exposed her ass” Dahlia commented, leaning back and taking a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, cracking it open. 

“Wait, it’s past midnight already” Rock realized “Happy Birthday Crystal!” She giggled and before the others could say anything, she was up already. 

“Wait? It’s my birthday! Oh my god!” Crystal squealed, jumping out of her chair and approaching her window. “Heidi! It’s my birthday already!” She shouted to her neighbor, who moved away from the phone. 

“Crystal it is not! Your birthday is tomorrow!” The unknown voice to the others on the video chat replied “Go to bed! You’re too drunk for this!” She shut her window, returning to the call “Sorry about that Gigi, your girlfriend is drunk and higher than the Empire State. You were saying?” 

“Rock, you’re fucking stupid” Crystal huffed at her laughing friend, throwing herself into the chair and almost failing miserably while doing so. “Anyways, regarding the technical difficulties: _mademoiselle Nicky. Merci beaucoup à pour tout. Je t'aime_ ” Crystal spoke with ease, leaving her friends dumbfounded. Was she _that_ intoxicated?

“Crystal, _mon amour,_ since when do you know French?” Nicky asked, looking as disoriented as the others but still proving to be patient. Unlike the others, she just took a few sips of champagne, didn’t drink the whole bottle and did not continue drinking afterwards. 

“Wait, that was French?” Crystal replied, suddenly as confused as the others. They all broke down in hysterical laughter, while the girl was still visibly confused, but joined nevertheless. 

“Good night Crystal. Happy birthday in advance” Nicky smiled tenderly “Also I sent you a package. Tell me when it arrives, okay? _Bonne nuit et bisous_ ” She blew a few kisses to the camera before leaving the meeting. 

“Steal my girlfriend away from me and I’ll crack this bottle open in your head, you hear me Elizabeth?” Jaida moved the object in her hand with sloppiness, the looseness of the alcohol not allowing her to get a firm grip. 

“Jaida, you’re my best friend. So Nicky is my best friend too.” Crystal dismissed her with her hand, receiving complaints by the statement “I have my world… Even though I have no idea where she is right now…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one chapter until the finale!! this is going to be my last project in a while since i barely have time to breathe BUT i have a multi-chapter thing cooking up in my docs and probably a halloween themed ficlet (??? even though it is a little longer than a ficlet should be i guess)  
> ALSO! i sketched crystal's purple cardigan and it's on my tumblr in case anyone wants to check it out! xx


	7. night changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We're only getting older, baby  
> And I've been thinking about it lately  
> Does it ever drive you crazy  
> Just how fast the night changes?  
> Everything that you've ever dreamed of  
> Disappearing when you wake up  
> But there's nothing to be afraid of  
> Even when the night changes  
> It will never change me and you”

“Is it a car?” Crystal stubbornly asked, then gasped, gripping Widow’s arm tighter “Is it a purple _Lamborghini_?!” 

“Less talking, more walking” Aiden limited her reply, helping her on the left side descend the stairs. 

The day after their Zoom party the entire group woke up with hangovers, some even vomiting from the quantity of alcohol taken. So yet again, Crystal skipped almost that entire day of classes and didn’t concern much about Gigi’s whereabouts. Now on her actual birthday, she was also skipping classes, more so when being awakened at 8 AM by Heidi insisting for her to put some pants on and walk downstairs blindfolded for her birthday surprise. One she reached the bottom of the stairs, behind the blindfold Crystal could hear the voices getting shushed and steps indicating people were leaving the room.

“Take off the blindfold when you please. Have fun” Widow tapped her on the shoulder “But not too much fun. We’ll be in the dining room if you need us” 

“If you guys got me a giant dildo for my birthday at my parents’ house, I swear to God I will be SO mad…” Crystal shouted into the apparent nothingness and just stood there, taking in her blind surroundings for a second. The carpet rubbing against her bare feet. The oversized red flannel print pajama pants and oversized LACMA shirt she acquired at the seminar last year. Her favorite childhood song playing faintly on the turntable, and how it suddenly switched to playing girl in red. That was odd… 

Why was she suddenly nervous? Crystal wondered as she reached in for the blindfold, removing it with her eyes closed. She heard a faint laugh that passed onto her. Whatever was happening it might be important, her anxiety kicked her in the gut at the thought. She mentally started counting down… 1… She placed on her glasses to rest on the bridge of her nose 2… She took a crisp breath in 3… Her eyelids popped open. 

“No fucking way!” Crystal wheezed as the air was knocked out of her once her eyes adjusted. She covered her mouth instantly, retaining a crooked sob that formed in that back of her throat. 

“Yes fucking way!” The person replied, the brightest smile on her face. Gigi Goode, now blonde, in the flesh stood in front of her girlfriend for the first time in a month and a half. The longest weeks for the both of them. 

Crystal squeezed out a cry and ran up to her, throwing herself into her always loving arms. No one said anything for a period of time. The only thing filling the silence was their quiet cries and say anything playing on the turntable. 

“I— I don’t even know what to say” Crystal let out a teary chuckle, closing her eyes to cherish the feeling of her girlfriend wiping away her tears once more. She breathed in, Gigi’s expensive _Moschino_ perfume filling her nostrils once more. The feeling was surreal. 

“I’ll start; Happy birthday my love” And with that, for the first time in weeks, their lips fused in a soft kiss. “I would love to give you your presents right now but Heidi told me to wait”

“Heidi? Huh? How did you…” She started questioning, only for her mind to click right on the answer “That sneaky little bitch! She helped you, didn’t she?” 

“Everyone helped me in some way” Gigi hummed, unable to keep her hands off her girlfriend; they rested on her hair, her fingers raking through it softly. “They knew and kept it a secret” 

“Oh my god! That was what Rock was talking about on the Zoom call!” Another part of Crystal’s brain clicked “She was so drunk and high, she almost ratted you out. Remi Ratatouille kind of way. But Jaida was co-host so she kicked her off the meeting before anything” 

“Well, remind me to thank Jaida later, mkay gorg?” Gigi stated, staring at her girlfriend lovingly. She swept away a few strands of hair from her face, allowing to caress the skin “As I was saying, Heidi wants to wait after breakfast for presents. And frankly, I am starving. Let’s go!” 

“Oh my god! Am I suddenly stuck in a Harry Potter book?!” Was the first thing Crystal said, staring at the food and the decorations on the table. Her family and friends laughed, looking at her amazed expression. “This is a proper feast!” She exclaimed with her usual silly English accent that popped up at times. 

Gigi suddenly became swallowed up once more by the nerves as she noticed how everyone had turned to stare at her. Everyone was decently dressed in fresh clothes, except for her girlfriend and herself. God, she was going to meet her girlfriend’s conservative parents wearing a pair of leggings, a white tank and one of Crystal’s leopard print shirts she so proudly stole before Hell broke loose. All this after making a grand entrance with enough luggage to make it seem she was permanently moving in. 

Crystal caught on the situation as Gigi discreetly moved behind her, their hands intertwined still. “Oh! Of course, I’m so rude. Mum, dad. This is Genevieve Goode. My girlfriend” 

“Hi” She chuckled nervously, stepping forward, standing a few inches taller than Crystal due to the platform UGGs she was given a few months prior. Before she could say anything, she was pulled into a hug by Mrs. Methyd, who gave her a welcome and a thank you. 

“What for?” Gigi asked, confused after the separation. What was there to thank her for? Was it for coming in the middle of a pandemic? Was it for risking their lives? That wasn’t something to be thanked about.

“For everything you’ve done for Crystal, you make our little girl so happy” Her husband concluded, twisting a smile out of Gigi, who felt the pang of tears on the rim of the eye. 

“That was cute but let’s eat up!” Crystal was rushed to the top spot of the table by Heidi, who fixed her hair down and fitted a cowgirl hat with a tiara and banner that read ‘Birthday Girl’. 

The breakfast flowed well between the attendants. Aside from the fact the food was delicious, sitting on Crystal’s right side made Gigi already feel at home, even when questions about her personal and professional life were flying her way, left and right. As the time went on, everyone went on about their day, leaving their gifts for Crystal to open by herself, something she oddly preferred to do. 

“Can you open mine first?” Gigi hummed, observing her girlfriend take a large bite out of her Milky way cake slice; the chocolate cake goodness with the dulce de leche brought her back a few years into her childhood, while Gigi stayed in the present enjoying the newfound favorite. 

“Sure thing bub” Crystal set her fork down, reaching in for the two regular sized boxes stacked together. It was just the two of them sitting together, the only thing remaining on the table were the decorations, empty glasses and a pair filled with water and what was left of an exquisite cake. 

“That one it’s just very simple; you mentioned you wanted some clips for your hair and I got you some at Walmart” She laughed, scanning her girlfriend’s face for a pleasant reaction, which arrived once her fingertips graced the present. 

“Ooh! This one is so cute!” Crystal squealed, looking at the red clip with a glittery cupcake. The assortment was wide, and each time she discovered a new item, her smile grew bigger. It was like a kid at Christmas, eyes shining with excitement and curiosity. For moments like those, Gigi would give her life to experience them all over again.

Gigi cleared her throat “Open up the other one” She nudged, pushing the other box in front of her. Crystal nodded and set aside the opened present aside, taking the other one in her fingers. Her brows wiggled up and down when she looked up at her girlfriend as she slowly opened the case. 

“Oh Geeg…” Crystal said breathlessly “You shouldn’t have... “ She muttered staring at the freshwater pearl necklace, in which each piece varied in size with classic acrylic beads used for simple bracelets spelling out ‘Golden’, just like the Harry Styles song. 

“Read the note” Gigi urged, growing anxious. Not that Crystal wasn’t going to like the biggest surprise of the day yet, but she just wanted her to know in that instant. The wait was too long, and every movement Crystal did seemed to be slower. 

Crystal hummed and took the sturdy card, reading the brand’s name before flipping it to the printed message.  
_‘Crystal, you’re so golden._  
Enjoy your new necklace, which I will enjoy as much as you will. I’ll be here every time you wear it until the days are not so golden and our season rolls by  
Yours, G.’ 

“Our season?... That’s fall... “ Crystal scratched her head confusingly. Gigi nodded slowly, coercing her to continue. “What do you mean you’ll be here? Do I have FaceTime with you every time I wear it?” 

“I’m staying here until fall, dummy” Gigi shook her head with a smile, tired of the mystery. For the second time that morning, a sob croaked out of Crystal’s throat as she threw herself into her girlfriend’s arms, crying. Without a doubt, that had been the best present ever.

Hours later, they found themselves on the roof of the home. After Gigi told Crystal the news, some… things happened, and there it was just the two of them organizing their shared space. Crystal's room was a mess, with lockdown depression taking any motivation away from her. But Gigi of course was comprehensive, and helped her out to organize and set everything out for her; opening a space up in the closet, setting up an exposed rack, giving her a side of the bathroom mirror and things of the sort. So far, Gigi loved the house and the positive energies it radiated. Everything was simply perfect for the two. And to top it all off, TicTac seemed to adore her. Around 6:15 they were finished for the moment, and Crystal offered to go out to the roof and take some fresh air, skillfully leaving through the window in front of the desk. 

Gigi laid quietly besides Crystal, arm stretched out to hold her hand. “We’ve been robbed of so many moments together over the past few months… I mean… two months without you…” She peaked at her from the corner of her eye and sighed deeply, noticing the quiver of her lip “They were hell.” 

“But I’m here now. We’re together once more” Crystal reassured both her girlfriend and herself, kissing her hand, the recurring gesture that said much more than words could ever do so. “And you’re spending the summer here too… Even though _‘Summer in Los Angeles’_ sounds so much better than _‘Summer in Springfield’_ ” 

“Can I tell you something?” Gigi asked, receiving a nod back and a pair of attentive eyes looking right back at her “When I’m with you, I feel this... emotion. I’ve never experienced it before, I don’t know what it is but I know it will last forever” Gigi admitted, watching the sky switch colors with the ingoing sunset over them. 

Crystal agreed with her solemn silence followed by a delicate kiss she gave her upon sitting up and leaning in carefully. Even if they were together for six months, she felt like they knew each other from life times ago, in which each time their souls reencountered, everything just felt in place and they felt ethereal. Crystal knew nothing in the world could fail, just because Gigi was there. Gigi thought her life was all in its place before meeting Crystal, to then realize she was the piece she didn’t even know she was missing. It just made sense, the two of them together, diving into new experiences and feelings, together. 

“I love you” Crystal mustered after the tender kiss, feeling her girlfriend rest her head against her arm, both looking at the colors the fading sun left on its path to the other side of the world. Together at last. 

“I love you too. But you already knew that” Gigi hummed in response, her slender manicured finger tracing along Crystal’s jawbone as she stared up at her, admiring the way the golden lights shone on her face in a spectacular way. 

They just laid on the roof in silence, basking in the dim rays. Once the darkness hugged the atmosphere around them, Crystal sat up, snapping them both out of the half awake, half asleep state they laid in. “C’mon, let's go lay in bed, I'll set up the turntable,” She proposed, extending her hand out to help Gigi sneak back into their now shared bedroom. She accepted it gladly, taking one last look at the view they were leaving behind and the real view standing next to her holding her hand securely, making sure she was stable. Like always. “Let’s go listen to girl in red.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! i'm so sad to say goodbye to the girl in red verse but! i have an upcoming project i am so so SO proud and excited for that's surely coming out this week (on both here and tumblr). thank u so so much for the love on both fics, this really made my year so much better. until next time! lots of love, gee ;)

**Author's Note:**

> quick reminder that my tumblr is @sapphic-tomlinson in case anyone wants to chat, see the nonsense i reblog there or whatever i have to say abt this series. xx


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